


The Shipping Ship

by mikkimouse



Category: Captain Harlock
Genre: Crack, Humor, M/M, Matchmaking, POV Outsider, The Arcadia is the Best Pirate Ship, The Author Regrets Nothing, Tochiro is gonna get Harlock's head out of his ass if it kills him, Trope Bingo Round 14
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:35:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24226720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikkimouse/pseuds/mikkimouse
Summary: Tochiro has been waiting for Harlock to find someone for a hundred years. ONE. HUNDRED. YEARS. And now the perfect person has waltzed onto theArcadiaand Harlock is going to do...nothing. Absolutely nothing about it.That's fine. Tochiro might be a ship now, but by God, he can still wingman with the best of them.
Relationships: Harlock/Yama | Logan
Comments: 17
Kudos: 81
Collections: Trope Bingo: Round Fourteen





	The Shipping Ship

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kalira](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalira/gifts).



> I promised Kalira this fic...probably close to three years ago, to be honest, as it was shortly after the first time we watched _Harlock Space Pirate_. One of the headcanons we both came out with was that Tochiro is responsible for the whole Aesthetic or Death vibe of the ship, and that he was absolutely 100% here to wingman for Harlock. 
> 
> Today is _also_ her birthday, so happy happy birthday, dear, and I hope this was worth the wait! XD
> 
> This fic fills the Matchmaker square on my [Trope Bingo board](https://mad-madam-m.dreamwidth.org/17415.html).

As far as afterlives went, being the most feared pirate ship in the entire galaxy was a pretty good one. Yes, it had taken Tochiro some time to adjust to little things like not having a body, and there was a lot he missed about being human, but being part of the _Arcadia_ definitely had its upsides. The ability to stick a skull and crossbones on literally every surface and/or crew member was extremely high on that list. 

However, there were a few—just a _few_ —situations where the ability to apply a well-aimed boot to Harlock's ass would have been much appreciated. 

For example, watching him brood over their newest crew member, then _angst_ over said newest crew member, and now finally pine from afar over that crew member. Of course, Harlock was so busy with his particular schedule of pining from afar that he appeared not to have noticed that Yama was _also_ pining very quietly in his direction. 

If Tochiro still possessed the ability to facepalm, he would've. 

He had tried a dozen different times to start the conversation, to suggest that Harlock make some kind of overture. However, since Tochiro did not possess a way to physically shake some sense into his best friend, Harlock had ignored his suggestions. 

That was all right. So what if he'd been a pirate ship for the past hundred years? Tochiro could still wingman with the best of them. 

He'd just have to get creative in how he did it.

***

The first option, Tochiro decided, was to get them to have dinner together. Simple, classic, should be easy to manage even with his somewhat-limited ability to interact with people who were not Harlock. He just had to ensure Yama made it to Harlock's cabin as he was about to eat, and the rest would take care of itself. 

Getting Yama to the cabin might be a bit tricky, since he hadn't yet learned how to listen to the ship, but Tochiro had some ideas. A few blinking lights here, a well-placed engine groan there, and he had Yama following him right where he wanted. 

He unlocked Harlock's cabin door and left it slightly ajar, and made one more particularly concerning noise just inside. 

Harlock looked up from where he was setting his plate and narrowed his eyes at the room. "Just what do you think you're doing?" 

Yama poked his head through the open door. "Er, what, Captain?"

Tochiro settled back into the ship and didn't make a peep. 

Harlock froze with his hands on his plate, which was the equivalent of anybody else jumping a foot off the ground. "Yama? What are you doing here?" 

"I heard a strange noise." Yama stepped into the room and looked around, like he was trying to determine what could've caused the noise. "It seemed to be coming from in here." 

"The ship is filled with strange noises," Harlock said, with a sharp glance up that Tochiro knew was meant for him. "You're not used to it by now?" 

"Not yet," Yama admitted.

Harlock's face softened. "You'll get there."

_Invite him to dinner_ , Tochiro said to Harlock. _Invite him to eat with you._

Footsteps sounded in the corridor outside the cabin, and then Yattaran burst into the room. "Captain! Yama! We need you on the bridge, now."

Yama and Harlock were both out the door right behind him, leaving the food cooling on the desk. 

Tochiro cursed at the interruption, although he wasn't sure if he was more irritated with Yattaran or the Legion ships he could sense now off their starboard side. 

Regardless, his matchmaking plans would have to wait until the latter, at least, had been dealt with.

***

It was tempting to try to replicate the dinner again, but Tochiro wasn't sure if he could make it work a second time, and he wanted to avoid raising Harlock's suspicions as much as possible. If the man would take matters into his own hands, Tochiro wouldn't have to be worrying about this, but _no_ , why would Harlock do something nice for himself?

Well, Tochiro supposed that was what friends were for. 

He spent a few days considering other options, but most of them were complicated by his lack of a physical body. Being a space-faring pirate ship did present some limitations in that regard. 

However, to his surprise, it was Harlock who gave him the idea. 

Harlock, Yama, and a few other crew members had just returned from a brief visit to the planet they were currently orbiting, and as usual, Harlock came to the heart of the ship to talk with Tochiro after they boarded. 

Something was clearly on his mind, and it took a few minutes of conversation for him to open up to Tochiro about it. 

"There were so many plants," Harlock said, his gaze fixed off to the side. "Not the kind we know from Earth, but beautiful nevertheless. Yama couldn't stop studying them." He frowned. "I know he misses them. He reminds me of you, a little, in that way. I wish there was a way to give them to him once again." 

That, Tochiro realized, was an absolutely _perfect_ idea.

***

Setting up a greenhouse bay was one of the easier things Tochiro had done since merging with the _Arcadia_. The ship had plenty of extra space, and it was just the work of a few hours to set things up and get them properly organized. Although Tochiro knew how _he_ would set up a greenhouse, he imagined Yama would have his own preferences, and so he left some of the paraphernalia stacked neatly along one wall. 

Granted, Tochiro couldn't do anything about the soil or plants, but that would be more Yama's purview, anyway. The raw materials were there, at least.

Once he'd finished—or had made enough headway that it was clear what it was—he brought Harlock and Yama to the hold. 

The look on Yama's face was priceless. He slowly turned in the center of the hold, mouth agape, taking everything in. He turned to Harlock. "What...what is this?" 

"I don't—" Harlock started.

_Tell him it's for him,_ Tochiro ordered. 

"It's for you," Harlock said immediately. 

"Me?" Yama looked dumbfounded. "This...it's a greenhouse. Where did it come from?" 

"The _Arcadia_ ," Harlock said. 

_It was your idea!_ Tochiro shouted. Well, as much as he _could_ shout. _Tell him you gave me the idea!_

"Tochiro very much enjoyed growing plants as well," Harlock continued, as if he hadn't heard a thing. "I imagine he thought you would like having a place for that." 

"Tochiro?" Yama looked around the room, as if he expected to see Tochiro's ghost floating around somewhere. "Your friend?" 

Harlock nodded. 

_We're not friends anymore if you don't_ tell him _,_ Tochiro snapped, but Harlock continued ignoring him. 

Yama started exploring the hold. "This is amazing. I can't...this is better than the greenhouse at home, before—" He cut himself off. "How did this even—" 

"I know Yattaran explained that the _Arcadia_ provides most of what we need." Harlock stepped up close behind him, hands held stiffly at his sides. "It can provide places like this as well. The soil and seeds you'll need to get yourself, I imagine, but the rest of it, just ask. I'm sure the ship will be happy to provide." 

It was a good thing Tochiro didn't have hands anymore, because he would've strangled him. _The ship is going to find a way to kick some sense into you_. 

Yama looked up at the ceiling, a huge smile on his face. "Thank you. Thank you so much." 

_It was Harlock's idea!_ Tochiro tried to force the thought on him, but Yama wasn't listening and the only person who could understand him was already walking away, black cape billowing behind him.

***

The next time Harlock came to the engine room to "see" him, Tochiro was ready. Maybe now he would be ready to get his head out of his ass. _You need to talk to him_.

Harlock gave him a baleful one-eyed glare. "No, I don't." 

At least he wasn't trying to play dumb this time. Tochiro supposed that was a step in the right direction. _Not for your sake. At least, not only for your sake. For his._

Harlock flinched. "One would think you would have gotten less insistent after death." 

_Being a ship has some advantages. When you don't have to eat or sleep, you have a lot of time to devote to other priorities._

__"And my personal life is a priority?"

_You're my oldest friend, Harlock. Your personal life has_ always _been a priority._

Harlock looked away then, his focus drifting to some far corner of the room. "It's a passing thing," he said gruffly. "Yama is young. His attention will drift elsewhere soon enough." 

_You don't get to make that decision for him,_ Tochiro scolded. _If you say nothing because you don't want to pursue it, that's one thing, but if you say nothing because you think_ he _will drift away, that's something else. So why are you saying nothing?_

Harlock stood in a flourish, swooping his cape around him as he did. "This is none of your concern, and I wish you would stop bringing it up every time we talk." 

With that, he swept out of the engine room. 

Another benefit to being a ship, Tochiro considered, was that little things like "distance" weren't actually a barrier to stopping a conversation. 

_You deserve good things, Harlock_ , Tochiro said, sending the words down the corridor after him. _You've spent a hundred years atoning for a single mistake. That's more than enough._

__But Harlock didn't acknowledge him, and so Tochiro let him go.

***

Tochiro might have been inclined to leave it alone, regardless of how idiotic he found Harlock's decisions to be, if it weren't for Yama. 

As he'd expected, Yama adored the greenhouse bay and spent most of his free time there, more than once falling asleep across one of the tables. Tochiro was inordinately pleased that the gift had gone over so well in that respect, even if it had been a total failure in the other. 

Soon, the greenhouse was full of seedlings, neat little rows of lovely growing things. And, Tochiro noted, two of those rows were filled with familiar white flowers. 

"I wish he would come and see you," Yama said to the flowers one day, a sad smile on his face. He gently touched one white petal. "I think it might make him happy to see you. He doesn't seem happy lately, and I don't—" 

He cut himself off with a quiet curse, and went back to carefully planting another row of seedlings. 

It was obvious he was talking about Harlock, who hadn't set foot back in the greenhouse bay since that first day. Not _inside_ , no, because he was too busy hovering just outside the mostly closed door, watching Yama with a look that could only be described as _longing._

That was that. Tochiro was fixing this. _Somehow_.

***

Getting Harlock into the greenhouse bay was _laughably_ easy. All it took was Tochiro saying he thought something large had fallen there, and wasn't Yama in there by himself? 

And Harlock was _sprinting_ through the ship to his rescue. 

He burst into the greenhouse bay. "Yama, are you—" 

Yama, who was _quite_ unharmed, jumped at the intrusion and nearly toppled off his stool. "Captain! What are you doing here?" 

Tochiro very quietly slid the door shut and locked it. 

Harlock looked up to the ceiling, his face promising swift and painful retribution. Joke was on him; pain wasn't something Tochiro had to deal with anymore. 

"My apologies," Harlock said to Yama. "I thought you had been hurt. I'll just..." 

He went back to the door and pulled on the handle. And then pulled again when it didn't budge. 

Tochiro got a _lot_ of amusement watching him wrestle with it for a full thirty seconds. 

Yama walked over. "Is the door locked?"

"It appears to be," Harlock said through gritted teeth. 

Yama frowned. "It shouldn't be. I don't think it _can_ lock." 

_Maybe not before today,_ Tochiro thought smugly. 

The door didn't open for Yama, either, and his frown deepened. "Maybe we should call the crew." 

"No," Harlock said very quickly. "They won't be able to do anything. It's the ship."

"The ship?" 

Harlock, once again, glowered at the ceiling. "Yes, the ship. Don't worry, it _will_ let us out." 

_Eventually_ , Tochiro told him. _After you ask him about the flowers_.

"The..." Harlock turned and finally, _finally_ saw the two rows of white flowers. 

Tochiro thought he'd have looked less surprised to be slapped across the face with a fish. 

Harlock walked very slowly over to the beds. "You're growing the flowers." 

Yama followed him, fingers fiddling with the hem of his shirt behind his back. "Yes. They were the first thing I thought to grow. My mother's flowers, Nami's flowers... _your_ flowers."

Harlock flinched. "I don't think they could be my flowers." 

"They are if I'm growing them for you," Yama said quietly. 

Harlock turned to him, eye wide. He started to reach out, and then clenched his fist and dropped it back to his side. "Yama—" 

"You don't have to accept them, if you really don't want them," Yama continued, "but I thought they might make you happy. You've done so much for us. You've done so much for _me_. If I could just give you a small bit of happiness in return..." He took Harlock's hand. "I would hope that you could accept that." 

"Yama," Harlock said again, but this time his voice had an entirely different tone to it. 

One other thing about being part of a ship—a _whole_ ship—was learning when you had overstayed your welcome. And here, Tochiro knew, he was very close to doing so. 

He swiftly moved out of the greenhouse bay and to the other areas of the ship. The greenhouse door he left locked, although this time, it was to ensure everybody else stayed _out_. 

He had a feeling Harlock and Yama would appreciate the privacy.

***

It was some time later that Harlock came to the engine room, looking only a little more irritated than normal. "That was a dirty trick." 

He was fighting a smile, though, so Tochiro couldn't begin to be bothered by the accusation. _It was,_ he agreed.

Harlock rubbed the back of his neck, and finally his face softened. "Thank you, old friend."

_I didn't do anything. I simply gave Yama the chance to say his piece where you might hear him._

"Thank you for that, then," Harlock said. "And for the...privacy," he added, blushing slightly. 

Tochiro was pretty sure everyone onboard the _Arcadia_ could feel the smugness radiating from him. Oh well, he'd earned a little preening. _Anytime._

Ship or no ship, he was the _best_ wingman.

**Author's Note:**

> I can't believe I wrote a 2.5k fic entirely from the viewpoint of a sentient pirate ship.
> 
> Come see me on:  
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/mad_madam_m)  
> [Tumblr](https://mad-madam-m.tumblr.com/)  
> [Dreamwidth](https://mad-madam-m.dreamwidth.org/)  
> [Pillowfort](https://www.pillowfort.social/mad-madam-m)


End file.
